


The Danger of Seashells

by mochi_quartz



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, F/M, INCREDIBLY SLOW BURN, Implied Sexual Content, also just a simple villager nothing too special, and tired of the bs, but they're very skilled in crafter ooo yeah, for like 2 seconds, reader is suuper sassy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-09-18 20:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9402500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochi_quartz/pseuds/mochi_quartz
Summary: Maui has overstayed his welcome on your island, and you've had just enough of it...





	1. Rain Rage

**Author's Note:**

> ok!! I got this idea when i woke up and it was raining really hard and I'd finished Avocado's reader insert (pls read it omg) my terminology might not be correct but I'm really trying, i hope to get better with time.  
> trust me this is just the first of many chapters im excited to write this >:3

The rain pounds on the roof, a rough thrumming sound beats above you. You and two other tribeswomen are preparing leis for the celebration of a guest. Well, he wasn’t much of a guest anymore, he’d been on your island for almost 2 weeks, but the chief insisted that you treat him with utmost respect. As you remember this fact, you grumble to yourself, thinking of all the things the ‘guest’ had done.

Upon arrival, the chief showed him all around the island, the crops, the tunoa, even the fale of all the citizens. The chief then guided him to the guesthouse. ‘It’s big enough for him.’ Everyone had assumed. Upon inspection however, the guest had decided that the home was too small for him, and that he needed to stay somewhere larger. Which is why now, you along with all the other women were cramped inside the guesthouse.

Another instance occurred after freshly washing your skirt clean of dirt. You hung it on a line to dry and walk after admiring your handiwork. You hear a shuffling from the place you just were and you watched as that so-called honored guest dried his hair with your formally perfect skirt. You stared at him in horror but he brushed past you, obviously unaware of your presence and hummed a tune with a grin on his face. Gods, did you hate him.

The needle you were using suddenly stabs your finger and you hiss inwardly. The other women look up at you, a small flash of worry in their eyes.

“I… I’m going to take a quick walk, clear my mind a bit.”

“But it’s pouring outside, are you sure?” One of them asks. You stand from your spot, smoothing out your skirt. “Yes, I’m sure Teuila,” you respond, “It helps me think better.”

            The rain soaks you the second you step out. You shiver for a second, getting used to the feeling, but continue trekking on. Your feet bring you to the crops first, watching as the sprouts bounce under the weight of the raindrops. You walk past the tunoa; gorgeous smells greet your nose, suddenly excited for dinner that night.

            The flowers are in bloom as well, despite the weather. They seem to bend towards you and bow as you walk past them. The rain dies down a bit by the time you make it to the beach. The sky is still stuffed with gray clouds but there seems to be a sense of optimism in the air. Something tells you to grab a few shells while you’re down here so you begin to do so. A sand dollar… A cowry…Oooh, was that a pear whelk?

            Suddenly, you hear a shuffling in the foliage behind you, causing you to drop nearly all of your shells in the sand. The bushes ruffle again and in a frantic panic you pick up a shell, which turns out to be a simple clamshell. Not so menacing but you’ll work with what you have. You see a figure step out, a bit disheveled by the look of it. It was Arihi, she was a bit older than you and fancied by many of the tribesmen.

           ‘What was she doing in the bushes?’ you wonder as she wanders off. Your question was quickly answered as the ‘beloved’ guest steps out a while afterwards, a smug grin on his face. That was another thing he did that you hated.

He adjusts his lavalava, tying the knot keeping it together a few times. He sighs to himself, sounded quite content, and then meets your gaze. He visibly jumps in fright.

            You scoff, picking up your dropped shells, readying to head back to your unfinished lei.

            “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here.” You stop suddenly in your tracks, realizing that he was talking to you. You meet his gaze with an icy glare and retort back to him, “Well, maybe you would, if you didn’t kick me out of the women’s fale. Along with all the other women, we’re cramped up in the guesthouse.” This took him back a bit, not expecting to be treated so coldly. You start walking off again, when he grabs your upper arm and pulls you back.

            “I don’t think your chief would like to hear about you talking so harshly to your honored guest.” He says with a hint of exaggeration. You whip your arm away from him, shells falling yet again but bubbling with anger.

“Honored Guest? You’ve been on our island for practically two weeks, eating our food and laying with all the women. That doesn’t sound so honorable to me.” He rears up to say something back but you cut him off as your anger bubbles over. “I’ve had just about ENOUGH of you in fact!” You jab him roughly in the chest with a finger with every syllable, taking note of how firm his chest was. “Every day I make leis for you and I don’t even get a simple thank you!” Something tells you to calm down but you don’t, growing angrier with every word. “And if the Chief won’t put his foot down for this kind of behavior, then I WILL!!” As you literally drive your foot into the sand, you’re reminded of the seashells you’d dropped as one particularly sharp one drives right into the sole of your foot.

Your eyes go wide, mouth gaping open. Slowly, you look down at your foot, turning it on its side to get a better look at it. A tiny conch shell was lodged into the sole of your foot, beads of blood already started to poke through. You hear the large man hiss inwardly and let out a low “oooooooohhh, that’s gotta hurt.” You’re too stunned to say anything, so instead, you scream.


	2. Prove it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A demigod? Yeah right...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm shaping out the story as I go. (I know, not the BEST idea, but I'm trying.)

Well standing and screaming wasn’t gonna solve the problem. You hunker down, evaluating the shell lodged into the ball of your foot. Tears prick your eyes as the adrenaline from your angry fades away and leaves you with the searing pain in your foot. You shakily move your hand to softly grip the shell in-between your thumb and index finger, mentally prepping yourself to tug it out.

“Are you sure your don’t want me to do it?” You don’t even look at him when you growl, “I’ll do it myself.”

Squeezing your eyes shut, you take a deep breath and pull as hard as you can. You gasp as the stinging pain hits you, but it doesn’t last very long. Slowly, you open your eyes to assess the damage. It wasn’t too bad, nothing a good wash couldn’t fix. Satisfied, you get back up, a bit quicker than you’d have wanted, nearly head butting him. You move a few stray hairs from your face, turn away from his bewildered look and take a step.

And audibly wince.

Apparently, the shell had done a lot more than you’d expected, but something gave you the most horrendous stinging shock you’d ever felt.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” he called after you. You didn’t answer as you began to limp away. You didn’t need his help! You were strong and independent! You got a little confident and took a step on your injured foot. A jolt of pain surged through you and you felt your leg give in on itself. You didn’t fall very far when you felt something-or someone- solid catch your fall. You close your eyes, trying to get a grip on what just happened. The solid feeling turns to muscular arms and thick fingers. A soft steady breathing comes from above you.

     You blink your eyes open, still wincing at the pain in your leg. And there he is, his face taking up all you see. His amber eyes stare directly into yours, eyebrows a bit furrowed together in concern. Lips slightly parted so you could see the gap between his teeth. The lower half of his face shadowed with dark stubble, as if he’d recently shaved. You could stare at him forever…

“You’re welcome!” he laughs, a dumb grin growing on his face. You snap out of the trance he had you in, pushing yourself off of him. “ I SAID I don’t need your help!” You march off, careful on your bad foot.

“Geez, what’s so special about that guy anyway? His oversized ego?” you grumble under your breath.

“I heard that.” You jolt in surprise as the guest’s voice comes from behind you. You turn around to see him under a palm tree, cracking open a coconut with his bare hands and gulping down the water inside. After a satisfied sigh he continued, “I’m Maui, demigod of the wind and sea. Most would even say a hero to all.” He folds his arms behind his head, puffing out his chest in pride. You giggle a little, and it soon turns into full-blown laughter.

“A demigod, that’s rich!” You huff as your laughter subsides. “If you’re a demigod then I guess the ocean is alive isn’t it?” You start laughing even harder, while Maui lets out a quiet ‘Welllll…’ He gets up and walks over to you while you grip your aching stomach.

“You better believe it, sweet cheeks. I’ve been around longer than your island. Heck, I’m the one who pulled it up!” You cross your arms at him, still quite unimpressed.

“If you’re a demigod,” you think it over in your mind for a second, “prove it.”

 

Before you know it, Maui’s drug you to the other side of the island, around a mountain and across a river. He leads you to a clearing, shaded by palms but leaving a spot in the middle for the sun to shine through.

“Oh wow, a clearing, very convincing.” Your voice drips with sarcasm. He grumbles a little and crosses the grassy area to a hibiscus bush. “How’s this for convincing?” He holds a giant fishhook in his hands, the biggest you’d ever seen. Your eyes go wide for a second, but this still wasn’t enough to get you to believe he was a demigod.

You were about to serve another serving of sarcasm when he held the hook above his head, and lets out a long ‘CHEEEHOOOO’. The hook glows a bright blue for a split second and as soon as he swung it down, he’s in the air. He’d become the largest bird you’d ever seen, wingspan blocking out the sun from above.

Now THAT was convincing.


	3. Falling With Style (aka Chapter 3 teaser I've been hiding for months)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maui proves that he's REALLY a demigod, but he takes it just a bit too far...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok im soooooo sorry about this long hiatus! I didn't intend to and i really wanna see where this story goes! sorry this isn't very long,,, and that it ends on a cliff hanger aaaugh enjoy

He swooped towards you, and for a heartbeat, you thought that he was going to kill you with

his massive talons. Your eyes go wide and a choked scream escapes your body. You shut your

eyes, expecting a sharp pain to hit you, but instead, you’re jerked up, wind blowing fast all

around you. You open your eyes to see nothing but sky. You panic and look down at your

island as it gets smaller and smaller as the both of you climb higher and higher. You start

scrambling in terror, not sure where to put your arms or legs. Maui (Bird Maui?? Maui Bird??)

brings his talons closer to his body so that the back of your head meets his feathered

underbelly. This calms you down a bit, your breath steadying out as he slows his flying. All

around you are those puffy gray clouds that the rain fell from earlier. They seemed so soft, so

you reach out a foot into a cloud and let it run through. Though you didn’t feel anything like

you’d imagine a cloud to feel like, it was still nice, though it left your foot drenched in water.

 

Unknowingly, Maui had seen you do this. He smiled to himself, thinking up a cruel plan. He let

out a piercing shriek and flew higher. All of a sudden, his grip on you loosens and before you know

it, you’re free falling through the clouds. You're too stunned to make a sound immediately,

falling quickly through the clouds. You start to flail your arms, hoping to grab on to something.

Nothing, of course, came to your rescue, so you continued your descent.

 

‘Y’know,’ you thought, ‘at this point I’m convinced he’s trying to kill me.’ You jerked your head

toward the island, trees beginning to look more detailed, and death seemed more inevitable.

Man, did you hate Maui.


	4. You've Got to Be Kidding Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maui's (and your's) true colors are revealed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanna yet again apologize for these ginormous gaps between chapters. I actually started typing this one out about a week or so ago ;;  
> But!! I now know where this story is going! The 10 chapters thing is a rough estimate, might be less....or more

Where were you? Oh yes, falling directly from the sky but Maui would stop playing around and catch you.   
‘He can stop playing around…’ you think as your island started to get even more detailed from your view. ’…Aaaany second now…’   
Still nothing.  
Ok, now you were panicking. The demigod had taken it too far in his joke and you were positive he was just trying to kill you as a sacrifice to his higher-ups.   
Flailing through the air, you try to grab for something, anything that would stop this. Unfortunately all you could grab was air.   
Lower, lower…   
At this point, all you could do is pray that the impact wasn’t too terrible.   
You feel the hotness of sand on your skin when suddenly a large bird swoops under you, catching you at the last second, but also bringing you back into the air.   
You bury your face into its back, gripping its front with all your might. The hawk made a sort of chirping noise that resembled a laugh and you immediately recognize this bird was that dreaded demigod, Maui.   
“Were you trying to kill me?!” You shout at him over the whipping wind. “I thought you were a hero to aaaAAAAAHH!!!”   
Bird-Maui takes a sudden nose dive, straight for ocean. Clinging on for dear life, you can almost feel the dried fish you ate earlier coming back up. Maui evens out his flying, as you still grip his back, eyes wide with shock. “You’re the worst..” you croak before, with a snap of his wings, he flings you into the ocean a few feet below you.   
Gods, did you hate him.

* * *

  
You finish your leis still sopping wet and furious. None of the other ladies speak to you while you do so, they’ve had history with your anger before and it was anything but a pretty sight. The air was humid once you left the fale, you were headed toward the jungle to gather more flowers and to calm yourself down.   
“So, did you really lay with the demigod?” You stop in your tracks. husking a few coconuts, you spot Kalani and Arihi whispering about her little rendezvous earlier. “Well…I wouldn’t say that,” she stops to twirl her hair in a bun in irritation. “It was more like he showed me his length but got too scared to go beyond that point, as if he’d never pleasures a woman before.” She slams a coconut on the sharpened stick in front of her, beginning to husk away its skin. “And I heard from other women that they experienced something similar, but I thought I could get just a little farther with him!” You stop eavesdropping on the two, able to feel her anger heating you up from a good distance away.   
You can’t help but to smirk, guess that demigod wasn’t so great after all. 

* * *

  
Dinner came and went in the village, you sat with a few of your friends, just talking and laughing. You had spotted Maui in the shadows, having an exasperated argument with Arihi, more like losing one if anything. An audible slap was heard from your spot at the table, Maui pressed a hand to his face while she stormed off. The two of you made eye contact and you went cold. He seemed to know that you’d seen everything, and he turned and ran off before you could take another breath. You tried to laugh it off, you hated this guy remember? But something felt off, like you had to feel sorry for him. Excusing yourself from the cleaning from dinner you went off in the direction of the women’s fale, which is where you stood now.   
The familiar smell made you relax in the darkness. None of the torches were lit but you could still make out the shape of the demi… the shape of Maui. You’d never seen him so…human. Sitting cross legged in front of his hook. Before you could approach him he spoke up.   
“You’re right, you’ve been right this whole time.”   
“W-what are you talking about?” You watch as his eyes move from looking at his hook to you, and you almost feel cornered.  
“I’m no hero. Yes, I’ve raised some islands and battled a handful of monsters but, what does that prove?” A silence hung in the air before he continued. “And now the whole village knows I’m a fraud. I didn’t lay with any of those women because I chickened out at-”  
“Do you really think laying with women is what makes you a hero?” You step forward, anger slicing your words. He doesn’t respond, just turns away slowly. He knew that you were right, what could he say? This also makes you a bit speechless. No laugh? No clever retort? No shapeshifting to prove a point? Your anger subsides some. You take a breath, and try again.   
“Look, all I’m saying is that this isn’t how you prove to us that you’re a hero. Any man could try to lay with every woman, I mean, he would probably get banished… but, you can be better than that.”  
Still nothing…  
You step even closer and sit just a few footsteps away. “I mean, take me for example: when I was born, everyone thought I was a curse,” you explain, looking down at your worn hands. “The rainy season lasted a few days more after I was born and three fishing boats were lost to the sea.” You remember the hardships the village had put you through, something you had no control over. How your chief belittled you and believed you should’ve been sent adrift with the boats.   
Shaking away the tears, you continue. “But, I found that I had an incredible talent for crafting. And so that’s where I was put in the village, creating leis, baskets, and even sails, ironically.” You turn to see Maui looking quite intently at you. You saw sorrow in his eyes, hope that your story had a happy ending. You blush unintentionally at his gaze, turning away quickly to study the patterns of your skirt.   
“So what I’m saying is, people will determine your worth before they really get to know you. You have to show them your best, in the best way you can.” You slowly raise a hand on his shoulder, and you feel him tense under your touch, flinching away a little.   
He hums in understanding and your hand slips away as he rises up, along with his fishhook. “I think I understand what I need to do…”  
“See, that’s the spirit-”  
“I have to lay with you.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Maui actually being terrible at laying with women (and men!) came from a few of my friends, @hooked-demiguy and @galacticmaui   
> I wanted him to have some sort of flaw that was really out of the ordinary, or according to other fics that have him like 'im a sex god'


	5. This is Where Everything Goes Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyy guys, I have no excuse for how long this one took, but during the time I wasn't writing I got some new ideas for the next chapter after this! This chapter has soooo mush sass I gotta warn ya. Enjoy!!

You blink slowly. ‘What did he just say?’ Maui looks at you with only seriousness as if the words that he just said weren’t insane.

“Maui, have you been listening to anything I’ve just said? Laying with women isn’t-“

“I’m doing this to help you.” He interrupts, grasping your hands with a strong firmness. Ok, now it was just confusing. How would him lying with you help? Well, you did have a kink in your back…

You screw your eyes together, trying to get your brain to get back to the current situation. “But, how would that help me? I’ve already told you, I have my place in the village and I like it that way.” He grips your hand a little tighter; you’re losing feeling in your fingers. “Think about like this: If I lay with you and you become my wife, the chief and the rest of the village with have higher respect for you.” He looks away, shaking his head. “Just, after hearing that story of how you were treated, I can’t bear to live knowing that your chief really thinks of you like this.” This was all just too much to take in! Being his wife? Just so the chief wouldn’t be on your back so much? It was insane, a pretty clever idea but still insane.

You pry your hand out of Maui’s with a sigh. “Listen, as much as I appreciate the offer of being your wife just so I have respect, this will live on with me forever. I don’t want to live with the fact that I had to have some high and mighty _guy_ fix my problems. I’ll do it myself.” You unfold your legs from under you, wobbling a little and leave the former women’s fale without another word.

 

* * *

 

 

A few days pass; you haven’t actually seen Maui around, which was quite surprising due to his large figure. He hadn’t requested you to make him any leis or flower crowns, which was equally strange. Maybe he left? You hoped not, but only a little bit. There’s only so much Maui a person can take before they just find him irritating.

You return to the ocean, where you first met him, just thinking about the first encounter made your foot ache. You scan the beach for more shells you might like, but nothing strikes your fancy. With a rough sigh, you wade into the water a little, enjoying how soft and warm the sand is even underwater. It’s clear and shallow enough that you can see your toes wiggling under the sand, making you smile a little as tiny fish circle by.

A thought pops into your head. ‘Maybe Maui really _was_ changing. Maybe he just needed a little guidance to go in the right direction of how to do so.’ This set you off to go find him, if he was still on your island that is.

Someone calls out to you as you’re looking for Maui by the tunoa, with no luck of course. “What is it?” you ask, a bit worried. Nobody ever really needed you for anything, unless they wanted to learn a technique for weaving. The female villager looks a bit excited, a smile not so cleverly hidden on her face. “Chief Ariitaia wants to see you in his fale, its very important so get there quickly.” She scurries off without another word and without you being able to press her on it. You shake your head in annoyance and trudge to the building. Nothing good could be coming from this little meeting and you were sure of that.

Outside of the fale you hear him talking and laughing with someone. The guard outside acknowledges you with a small nod but nothing else as you do the same. The chief pulls back the tapa covering the doorway, tears of laughter making his eyes twinkle. Then his eyes reach to you. A familiar grimace carves into his face, making you want to crawl in a hole and never come out.

“Oh, it’s you.” He looks you up and down in annoyance. “It’s about time you got here, of course it takes you forever to get here though.” You look down at your feet in defeat ((lol)), too afraid to say any words to him. “Well, what are you waiting around for, an invitation? Get inside.” He barks at you, making you jump. You scurry inside past his burning glare, where you see the familiar large figure also waiting in the Chief’s fale.

“Maui?” he looks at you with a mix of sorrow but excitement. What an odd mix. “What’s going on here?” you ask as the chief enters as well. Chief Ariitaia clears his throat a bit, signaling that he’d be the one answering the question though Maui looked as if he was going to. “The great demigod Maui has told me that he would like to take you for a wife, as insane as it sounds.” The demigod shoots a glare at his harsh words, making him clear his throat a second time. “So, if yes we can get on with preparations, if not I’ll be on my way.”

You couldn’t believe it; you couldn’t believe any of this. Maui went on with talking to the chief even after you told him that you wanted to deal with your own issues yourself. “Are you serious Maui? Does everything I say go one ear and out the other?” Anger was heating your chest. It was like he didn’t even care how you felt!

“That’s no way to speak to an immortal being!” The chief shouted at you, whipping you around to face him. Oh, that was it. That was _it._ You’ve had to deal with this joke of a chief’s crap from the minute you were born, and you feel that now was the time to let him have it. “Do you even know how he’s treated the villagers since he’s been here? He took the women’s fale, putting us ALL in the guest hut, made me make him leis every morning without a single utterance of a thank you!” You whip around to burn a glare right at the culprit of your transgressions. “He’s been ‘laying’ with most every woman right under your nose!” You take a step toward him, making him flinch under your obvious superiority. “And now he’s gone against my requests to not be married. Now that, that is no move an immortal would make. Isn’t it true that Maui, the demigod of the wind and sea did everything for the humans he supposedly loved?” The two were silent, besides the guard outside letting out a not so quiet ‘yikessssss’.

“And you, the chief of our village who still hates me for something I had no control over as a baby. The chief who had my parents put in to exile for having me. You made me feel like I was an outcast.” You feel tears burning your eyes but you’d never let them fall, not now anyway. “And if that’s how you decide to treat me, that’s just what I’ll be.”

 

* * *

 

You didn’t need this village, the chief, and especially not Maui. They meant nothing to you. ‘I don’t need them.’ You keep saying as you tighten the sail on a canoe. With everything packed, you begin to push the boat off the shore to the ocean.

Now that you were paddling out on the open sea, you –unfortunately- had time to think by yourself. Like how when you stormed through the guest hut, no one spoke to you, only stared with concern, they knew something was up, but you’d never let them know.

Or how the chief’s facial expression didn’t change as you called him out in front of Maui. As if he were saying he owned up to the truth that he hated you, probably would even be willing to help you pack up and leave as you cast yourself into exile.

You didn’t even notice the tears spilling down your face. You realize that that this is what Chief Ariitaia had wanted this whole time. He wanted to banish you from the island but you’d done it for him. You really were weak on your own.

 

The storm had hit almost suddenly and of course you weren’t prepared for it. Without the sun, everything was mess of water and thunder with a flash of lightning every so often. A crash of water flips over the canoe, leaving you flailing in the water. The surface seemed so far away, though your boat was just above you. Reaching up, you grab a rope to pull yourself up, clawing at the boat with sputtering coughs. You grip the boat with all your life, but even so, everything was getting dark. “No, not like this….” You rasp, trying to blink away the blotches of darkness. But it was no use, as a wave crashes over your figure, dragging you under with it.


	6. yeahhhhh sooooo

Yeah, um, I'm not gonna finish this fic. I'm so so sorry for those who've been with me from the start but I literally just can't. I /did/ start writing the next chapter but I never finished it bc I hated it so much. I'm just not having fun with it anymore and I couldn't see it going anywhere, so, yeah.... I mean long story short Reader and Maui make up, they find an inhabited island where they start to like each other more, Reader's original island comes to attack (for whatever reason), Reader's new island wins, Maui and Reader get married, maybe 2 kids and that's it. If you'd like me to upload what I had of the next chapter, I'd be happy to.   
-mochi_quartz


End file.
